They are one of the biggest organizations for travelers and they give really good advise on places!
And I stumbled across this article!
Guess which country ranks 10? And Penang's "Keh Lok Si" where the facous pagoda stands is in the featured picture!!
Woo hoooo!!
Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 - top 10 countries
These 10 countries are destined for an epic
year, whether they’re hosting festivals, cutting the ribbon on new
attractions or simply raising their game for travellers. Feast your eyes
on 2014's most unmissable destinations.
1. Brazil
All eyes on the pitch for 2014’s World Cup |
| A game of beach football in Rio. |
As if endless strands of sun-toasted coast, mountains splashed with
Crayola-green rainforest and some of the planet’s most beautiful
colonial villages didn’t already add up to an unfair share of heaven, Brazil
goes and snags two of the most coveted sporting events in the world,
beginning with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and followed two years later by
the 2016 Summer Olympics. Tack on a recession-dodging economy, and boom!
Brazil is the belle of the ball.
Be it trekking across towering
windswept dunes peppered with cerulean lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses,
exploring gilded colonial churches in frozen-in-time cities such as Ouro Preto or swimming in aquarium-like rivers near Bonito, Brazil’s diversity will leave you slack-jawed.
2. Antarctica
The adventure of a lifetime |
| A noisy gentoo penguin in Antarctica. |
3. Scotland
An eventful year |
| The rugged scenery of Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands. |
The phrase ‘there’s something for everyone’ applies: Europe’s biggest brass band festival blasts Perthshire, an orienteering contest around Scottish castles, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival in May... Despite all this, politics will take centre stage: to be or not to be independent, that is the question. Hold onto your hats, Scotland.
4. Sweden
Food, culture and scary stories |
| Summertime in Västra Götaland, Sweden. |
Thanks to the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson, most people have a sense of what Sweden’s like, even in the far north – cold, beautiful and a bit scary. Sweden is emerging with a new pop-culture persona. Perhaps not coincidentally, northern Sweden’s largest city, Umeå, is the European Capital of Culture for 2014. Then there’s the food. The capital has long been a stylish, top-notch destination for serious gourmands and boldly experimental chefs but lately the reputation and influence of Swedish cooking have spread beyond the country’s borders. Considering that Swedish cuisine is so strongly tied to locally sourced ingredients (be it seafood, game, berries, herbs or regional cheeses), it makes perfect sense to go to the source of all this fine food.
5. Malawi
The Big Five and beach life without the crowds |
| Elephant marches through Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi. |
6. Mexico
The sleeping giant is waking |
| Roadside fruit and vegetable stall in Oaxaca, Mexico. |
Sun-baking on a Caribbean beach after partying all night in Cancún; shopping for brightly coloured handicrafts or gorging on seven types of mole (chilli sauce) in Oaxaca; stepping back in time at a Mayan temple – it’s easy to feel optimistic when you’re kicking back in Mexico.
And it’s not just the holidaymakers - many Mexicans are happier about
living in Mexico now than most can ever remember. Exciting developments
on the travel scene have continued, from major new Maya museums in
Cancún and Mérida
to the installation of Latin America’s longest ziplines on the rim of
the awe-inspiring Copper Canyon. Now Mexico’s image is on the cusp of
change – it’s time to dust off your Mexican dream again and enjoy it to
the max before those prices go back up and the crowds really start
rolling in.
7. Seychelles
Paradise within reach |
| An idyllic spot on Anse Lazio beach on Praslin in the Seychelles. |
These 115 divine islands strewn across the peacock-blue Indian Ocean
have all the key ingredients for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, but their
reputation as a millionaire’s playground may have kept you away. Good
news: on top of exclusive island hideaways and elegant eco-villas, you
can benefit from the wallet-friendlier B&Bs, picturesque Creole
guesthouses and self-catering apartments that have sprung up over the
past decade. And if expensive air tickets deterred you from visiting,
rejoice! Increased competition has dramatically changed the situation
over the past few years. And there’s much more to do than sipping
cocktails on the beach. Hiking, diving, snorkelling, boat tours and
other adventure options are all readily available, with the added appeal
of grandiose scenery. Wildlife lovers will get a buzz too – the Seychelles is not dubbed ‘The Galápagos of the Indian Ocean’ for nothing.
8. Belgium
High emotions in Europe's underrated gem |
| Historic buildings along the River Leie in Ghent, Belgium. |
9. Macedonia
Back to the future, Balkan-style |
| Church on the shores of Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. |
The year 2014 marks the completion of the government’s love-it-or-hate-it makeover of the capital, Skopje.
The Macedonian capital has at the same time quietly become more
visitor-friendly, with a bevy of cool new hostels, upscale wine bars and
bistros, and one of southeastern Europe’s best club scenes. Beyond
work-in-progress Skopje and the more established tourist sites such as Lake Ohrid,
Mavrovo ski area and ancient Stobi, new things are happening elsewhere.
Quiet Berovo, on the border with Bulgaria, is an up-and-coming
contender on the spa-hotel scene. Also in Macedonia’s
idyllic eastern half, sturdy old Kratovo – with Ottoman-era stone
bridges and cobblestone lanes – is revitalising previously derelict
Turkish mansions, attesting the bygone wealth of this old mining town.
And in the arid central vineyard region of Tikveš, new quality wineries
are catering to thirsty visitors.
10. Malaysia
A revitalised Malaysia goes back to business |
| Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Malaysia. |
With its sights set on 28 million visitors to the country, Malaysia is rolling out an array of new attractions. The headline-grabbers are the largest bird park in Southeast Asia in Melaka (with 6000 birds featuring 400 species), and Legoland Malaysia and Hello Kitty Land in Nusajaya, which are packing in both locals and Singaporeans flocking across the causeway. The new second terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2), catering mainly to the booming budget airline sector, is another major factor in attracting more visitors. Competitive fares offered by Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Firefly and new operator Malindo Air make getting around this widely spread-out country a cinch. Further afield, weekly direct links are now scheduled to destinations as diverse as Istanbul and Pyongyang. Amazing experiences await in Malaysian Borneo, from exploring off-the-beaten- track Kudat to indulging at the luxurious Gaya Island Resort on Pulau Gaya. And active travellers can discover the country on two wheels as cycle tourism takes off with guided tours in Sabah, a proposal to build a bike path around the coast of Penang, and a community project to map out cycle routes around Kuala Lumpur.
Images: Getty Images
